While you were hibernating
by Blue Dragon
Summary: This is my explanation to why not all of the Eighty survived hibernation...


While you were Hibernating

While you were Hibernating

The ship was small. Metal. Ludicrously shaped; similar to a cone with a flattened bottom. Two triangular, pointless wings. Probably belonged to some new, primitive species trying out space travel. Not very successfully; no class or style at all. A colourful mix of red, blue and white – a marking of some sort, probably – was found on one side. Next to a line of black symbols; writings.

Their carrier had reported there were living beings in the craft. Living, but… not really. Alive, but not aware. Not awake. Which meant, not dangerous, either.

Surely they wouldn't mind if two harmless kids took a look around… 

Aberdan-Gaxh turned and grinned at his friend. Nardeela-Jiihn was much less of what their universal guardian would call 'impish', but even her three eyes were widened in delight. Her triangular-shaped face was shining – mostly from fascination, scientific eagerness to learn, not as much from mischievousness as on Gaxh's part – and her large, main eye was twitching on its thick stalk.

Gaxh brought his two-fingered hand forwards towards the computer, pressed them against the console, and said in standard Hapeena'n; "We will be boarding."

"Oh no you won't, young one," the computer voice replied. That was okay; Gaxh had not expected their guardian to approve. It seldom did. For some strange, mysterious reason only known to guardians and parentalians. "Your parentalians would disagree."

"They're not here," Gaxh pointed out bluntly, his mouth revealing a row of sharp green teeth in a smile.

"We won't cause trouble," Jiihn promised softly, her own two fingers pressed against the second console. "we just want to take a look."

"That's what you told me the last time," the universal guardian reminded them. "Let's see. What was it that happened again? You blew up a ship, because someone – _Gaxh_ – 'accidentally' activated the self-destruct. Or, in his own exact words; 'oops.' A most intelligent thing to say. Really inspiring. And, oh yeah, in the process; you almost caused the advanced species keeping an eye on them to turn against our empire."

"The Hapeena'n empire can deal with that," Gaxh said. "Hey, even we 'young ones' are in control of our surroundings when we're in space. And they only issue us standard carriers. Barely toys."

"Take us in for boarding," Jiihn ordered the computer.

"Not this time."

"Take us in," Gaxh said giddily, watching the strange ship on the screen.

"Not happening," the computer sighed.

"Please?" Jiihn said.

"I said it a million and thirty-four times before, and I'm saying it again; no."

"You've said it a million and thirty-four times and meant it none," Gaxh said. "We always win our arguments."

"Yes, you do. I am programmed for dealing with civilized, well-disciplined and mature adults. Experienced space-travelers. Not unmanageable, boisterous, much-too-curious-for-their-own-good youngsters."

"If you know you'll lose, then why do you argue?" Jiihn asked.

"Because I'm programmed to advice against this type of activity."

"Advice; yes, order, no. Bring us in for boarding."

"Gaxh! Listen to me."

"Bring us in for boarding, computer," Gaxh snapped.

"We'll be careful," Jiihn added. "Promise."

The computer sighed. "Yeah, right. But okay. Bringing in for boarding. You've got five minutes."

Their small carrier closed in on the metal shuttle-ship and Jiihn and Gaxh both snapped their tentacles like whips through the air, expectant, waiting to explore. It searched the unfamiliar craft and found the entrance. Force fields secured it against the carrier's own door, and the boarding program figured out how to open it.

When the computer was done, it sighed again and said; "Five minutes. Or I'll tell your parentalians about this!"

"Like we hadn't heard that one before," Gaxh laughed and sped out into the force field tunnel on his two stubby legs. Using the common Hapeena'n wobble, he made it to the shuttle's open door and glanced in, three eyes twinkling.

"Isn't this great, Jiihn?" he said as she peered over his shoulder at the inside.

"Don't touch anything," she said.

"Don't be such a parentalian," he said and squeezed through the entrance. And added, maybe in an attempt to make her feel better; "I'm not planning to."

She made an exasperated face by twisting her large eye-stalk into a loop. But followed him into the alien craft.

The inside was cramped. As if it had all been stacked in there in a hurry, without any consideration to design, taste, or even simple pleasantness. There were rectangular boxes everywhere. They dominated the compartment. They were covered at the top by a thick slab of see-through, unknown material.

Gaxh was busy peering down through the material into one of them. "You've got to see this, Jiihn!"

"I do, do I?" she said, her two lesser eyes questioning. Her main eye scanned the compartment with interest. Curiosity. Why would anyone build anything like this? For what purpose? And why, whatever the purpose was, did it look like the components had been hurriedly jumbled up and stacked inside?

She glanced down into one of the boxes. An alien was lying inside, motionless – on its back, she assumed, but she couldn't tell for sure. It had two long, single-jointed legs with a foot at the end. One on each leg, not like the Arnarn that she once had seen that for some reason had two legs but only one foot. Its head – at least that's what she thought it was – had a single mouth, with a tube sticking into it. A ugly, pointed nose (something Jiihn, Gaxh, and the rest of the Hapeena'n lacked) with two nostrils and two lines of short hair over the lower part of its forehead. The entire head was adorned by more, longer hair at the top.

Jiihn only saw the closed eyes when she took a second look. Strange – what were they called now again? Eyelids. She had heard about them, but never seen a set herself. Fascinating.

"Ugly, aren't they?" Gaxh called.

"Not that bad," Jiihn said. "We've seen worse."

Gaxh's shoulder shook agreement and he hustled to the next box. Glancing down into it, he raised his arm and waved. "Hey, you've gotto see this!"

Jiihn sighed. "What now?"

"This one's got a mutation!"

Jiihn made her way past a few boxes andjoined him where he stood.

The face of the creature was clearly deformed. Half the face looked as if someone had melted it. The skin was a slightly different colour, too, and the eyelid wasn't closed properly. The eye beneath it was white, Jiihn noticed, pleased. White eyes – like those on Hapeena'n – were okay; some aliens had red or green or even blue eyes, and that was just plain disgusting. She wondered what colour the pupil was, or the iris. But she didn't think it very appropriate – or civil – to find out.

"Gross, huh?" Gaxh grinned.

"Kinda," Jiihn admitted. "Wonder what happened to it…"

"Let's open up and ask it," Gaxh suggested, beginning to look for a way to open the box.

"No!" Jiihn said. "Leave it alone. Maybe it's sick; we shouldn't disturb. Our guardian told us not to destroy anything."

"That old computer always tells us not to destroy anything," Gaxh sighed. "Overprotective, it is. And not over us. But, okay, I'll leave that one alone."

He went on to the box next to it. The creature inside had soft features on its face and long hair. Similar to the mutated one, but bigger. More adultish. Before Jiihn could stop him, Gaxh had opened the box.

Silence. They both waited, a bit tense.

Then Gaxh grinned his favourite grin. "See? Nothing happened."

"How do you know that?" Jiihn muttered. But she came closer for a good look.

"Do you think they're supposed to have those things sticking into their mouths?" Gaxh said.

"I think so," Jiihn replied. "Leave them alone, Gaxh. Don't touch."

Gaxh shrugged his one shoulder and strolled on to the next box.

Jiihn remained by the opened one. "How do you close it?" she asked.

"Beats me," Gaxh laughed. He had already opened another box, and was peering down into it. His two fingers reached down, but…

"Gaxh! Don't touch!"

The fingers were hurriedly pulled out again. "I wasn't going to."

Jiihn's stalk formed a loop again. She looked around the edges of the box, trying to find some way to close it. "How did you open them?"

"I pushed a button."

"Which one?"

"The big green one."

Jiihn found it and pushed it. To her relief the lid slid closed again, bit by bit. But the machinery or whatever it was had gotten rusty and aged; there was a slight gap left open when the thing grew too tired to continue.

Unfortunately, Hapeena'n don't have a good eye for details, so neither Gaxh or the more careful Jiihn noticed that gap. Neither ever found out, either, about what eventually happened to the creatures with gaps in their boxes.

And thanks to Gaxh's curiosity, there were many with opened lids. Many who's hibernation was disrupted. As their universal guardian would have put it; once again, Gaxh had messed up.

  
  
  


_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

Author's Note;   
Okay, that was it. My explanation to why not all of the Eighty survived hibernation. Occured somewhere between books one and two. Review if you read it. 


End file.
